a Finnish Dream
by XantaClaus
Summary: Edward Elric crosses the Gate after restoring Al and appears to a room what belongs to a Finnish fangirl. What if Ed would stay in the house? How will a normal teenager react and how much will Ed chance her normal lifestyle? ON HIATUS.
1. The Arrival and Adaption

Well, I wanted to write something in English even if I'm from Finland, so be sensible.

I have always wondered how my life would be if Ed would live with me, and I wanted to share my little funny fantasies with everyone. Please read and tell what you think! This is my first English fanfiction, but not my first story.

**I'm looking for a BETA, so if you're interested, please send me an e-mail or tell it in your review!**

**A Finnish Dream**

_Hi. I'm going to tell you how my biggest dream became true, and, shattered to million pieces. A real dream can't be called a dream if it comes true, right?_

It was a warm summer afternoon when it all started. I was lying on my bed, reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, only half-understanding what I read. My room was messy as always; clothes, bags and towels all around the floor, walls covered in posters and a desk full of papers. My dad always told me to clean up, but I just turned him down with a:"My room's in 'controlled mess'-state, if I clean it up, I won't know where everything is."

Still, even in that 'controlled mess', you could always tell what my obsession was: Anime and manga. Especially Fullmetal alchemist and my only true love, Edward Elric. "I will die being a single and virgin", I told myself, but my heart wouldn't change its target: Edward Elric was all I could think about when I was awoke and sleeping. 24/7 only Ed, and it didn't help at all that my posters were of him. But I didn't even try to forget him, why should I? I knew he's there somewhere, only on the other side of the Gate. Yeah, now you think I'm gaga or something, but the next thing will make you wet your pants...

As I told, I was reading, and then, out of nowhere, a golden light flashed and disappeared as fast as it appeared. First I thought someone, maybe my dad was playing with the lights, but I found out that it was far away from that: In the middle of my messy room laid an amber-eyed, blond-haired teenage boy looking very, very confused. And what was my first reaction? I can tell you, it wasn't the brightest one at all. I screamed like I girl –wait, I am one- and threw a pillow at him without thinking. When I started thinking clearly, I turned red all over my face. He was Edward Elric, now standing in my room, surrounded by posters of him. Hell, in every one of them read something like: "I love you" "My little alchemist" "Forever mine" and such. I opened my mouth, closed it and opened it again, gaping like a fish. There he was, without a shirt and in those tight, smexy leather pants, looking around and then staring at me like I was an idiot.

"Excuse me, Where am I?" Ed asked, brows raised and I sighed because of his lovely voice. It took a moment from me to understand what he had asked, because I was staring at his muscular chest. When his question sunk, I cursed to myself. How could I explain? 'Oh yeah, you're in the year 2007, in a country called Finland with a mad fan within the same room. Let's have sex.' No, that would not work.

"Uh... You aren't Edward Elric, are you?"

I didn't know if Ed was surprised 'cause I knew him or 'cause I really talked, but he still nodded and I was like 'Omg, what to do, what to do?' but Ed saved me from my thoughts.

"You know, I asked a question", Ed repeated, now a little irritated by my stupidity.

"Uhh, try to believe me, okay?" I said and got a raised brow from Ed, but I continued anyways.

"You're in Finland", I saw from Ed's face that he didn't believe me, "and in a different world. Here such a country as Amestris doesn't exist" Yay, now Ed thought I'm insane. What a good start of friendship. "Oh, and it's year 2007." Now Ed looked like he didn't know if he should cry or laugh. He laughed, even thought this was far from funny.

"So, I'm here again." That woke me up. He has been here before? Doesn't that mean he's now 16? Oh my, he's maybe really broken down now, even if he didn't show it. He has just lost everything and got 

transferred to a different world. Ed probably saw the pity in my eyes and looked away, opening his mouth to speak.

"Why do you know about Amestris?" His voice got stronger at the end and I gulped without noticing. What should I say? Would it be better to lie or tell the truth? 'Yeah, there's a really popular anime and manga made of you so like everyone knows you and what you did'.

"Ed", he looked at me kinda surprised because I used his nickname already, "before I say something else, I'd like to say this:" I got Ed's full attention and I blushed a little. His eyes were so beautiful, yet so full of power and most of all, sadness. "Al is alive, Ed. He's a human again", I regretted that immediately after saying it, because Ed looked first surprised, and then angry. But I just couldn't stand that sad look in his eyes.

"And how you could know? How you even know about Ametris or me and Al? Who you think you are, saying things like that!" Ed's eyes were flashing dangerously and I pressed my back against the wall. He looked even more terrifying in reality than in TV when he snaps.

"Please, calm down. I'll explain if you just listen", I spluttered and he calmed down, but only a little.

"Our technology is developed way further than yours, and for example TV and internet shares really much information of almost everything you can think of ", Ah, Ed didn't understand a word, "I'll show you", I sighed and got up from my bed, smiling a little. I grabbed the pillow from the floor, saying 'sorry' and pointing at it. I threw it to the bed and realized something.

"Ah! I haven't told my name! I'm Sari Virta, nice to meet you." It wasn't hard to notice that I tried to loosen the mood a little; angry Edward wasn't the one I wanted to be with. The room next to us was the TV room, living room was further in the house. First Ed ignored the weird-looking black box but when I switched it on, he startled because of the sudden sound of The Rasmus' music video. (The Rasmus is actually a Finnish band.)

"This is what we call a TV. I really don't know how it works, but with this you can look different channels. Every channel shows different information", I tried to explain. I felt like I was telling to a 1-year old how to wipe his mouth. It felt so stupid to speak about 'information', but I thought that would be the easiest word to understand. Because if you remember, Ed lived in 1920. Luckily I've got the recording digibox and the first ten episodes of FMA recorded in it.

"Help yourself and sit down. Could you take off your shoes, please?" I tried to be friendly and, without thinking, selected the episode 1. I noticed my mistake when two little boys appeared to the screen. 'Oh shit', I thought and tried to switch it off, but the battery of the remote control was almost empty. Soon there was screaming of young boys and a terrible breathing noise. I went pale and looked at Ed, who endured all that really well, maybe because it was in a cartoon's form. His eyes were as hard and cold as steel, but nothing else of him showed that he had been the one experiencing that horrible event.

"I'm sorry. I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to show that, I...", I tried to explain, but everything sounded so stupid in my ears. What kind of idiot shows to someone his/her the most dreadful nightmare?

"So... Everyone knows everything about me?", Ed asked in a toneless voice, his throat probably as dry as desert. Now Ed was chasing Al and the video's mood was much happier, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth for the first time.

"I don't think so. But this is maybe the most popular anime in the whole world, so..." I didn't want to continue, but I needed to do something because Ed's face tore my heart apart.

"And the anime ended years ago. That's why I can tell you that Al is alive, but he's in a 10-years old body and doesn't remember anything from the time he spent in that armor", and I screwed up again. It must really hurt to know that Al didn't remember anything from their quest.

"But he's living with Rockbells, he'll survive." How I always ruin people's moods even if I try to make them smile?

"So... What are you going to do?" I asked hesitantly and Ed looked at me, taken aback. He hadn't thought about that, I could tell it from his face.

"I'll move forward", he said and I fought against an urge to laugh. He'll move forward even this situation? I have always admired his determination, but that sounded just so... U know?

"Please Ed, think a little further. You don't know this world, you just can't go and try to think about something to do. You won't survive that way. Tell me what's the answer for this: -3a-5b+10a?", I wanted to laugh at the question. That was so easy one (by the way, I love math), and Ed didn't understand it at all.

"See? In this world every 13-years old child would know the answer." I tried so hard not to sound malicious, but it was a little too hard for me.

"Then what are you telling me to do?" Ed spat out and I startled a little. Okay, take a deep breath and explain it firmly. Easier said than done.

"Well... uh... Ifyouwantyoucouldstayhereuntilyouknowwhatyouwilldo."

"I didn't catch that." Ed said, a little amused by the speed of my speech. (A/N: speed of my speech… lol.)

Damn! I blushed and started again. "I think it would work out somehow if ... you ... wanted to stay here for a while." There. Now it was understandable, but my voice was still as high pitched as a siren.

To my surprise, Ed didn't turn my idea down right away. He thought about it and nodded, for god's sake!

"You do have a point. I'd like stay, but only if it's really okay with you. Do you live here alone?"

Oh my. That's right, I did have parents and if I knew even a little about them, they would not like to have a foreign boy in the same house with their horny teenager daughter.

"I live with my parents, but my mom is busy with work so she doesn't come home so often and dad... He's a little off sometimes, but still okay. He goes to work too and now he's in France because of his work. If I remember right, he won't return until next Monday... It's a good thing, really. We'll have a whole week to think about a good explanation why you are staying here. I'm just curious, does your alchemy work?" Ed shook his head to my question.

"I know it didn't work then, but just try, please? I'll get you something to transmute", I said and disappeared before Ed could say anything. A little while after I came back with a broken crystal horse in my hands.

"I broke it by an accident, but I don't have the heart to throw it away. Could you fix it? I won't blame you if alchemy doesn't work", I said and held the broken pieces in my hands, while Ed was examining them. Hesitantly he clapped his hands and pressed them to mine, and to our surprise, a flash of blue light appeared. First Ed looked surprised and I was open-mouthed like a fish, but then he started smiling.

"Whoa. That was awesome." I looked at the fixed crystal horse and, without thinking, kissed him to the cheek. Both of us turned to a bright shade of red and I mumbled 'Thanks' before vanishing to my room. There was a sound of tearing paper when I tore the posters from the walls.

When I came back, I tossed a white T-shirt to him, still blushing a little.

"Here. You can have it; it's too big for me anyways." When Ed only looked at me, I continued:"Please put it on. You're half-naked." He hadn't realized it until now!

"I'll show you around the house", I said when he was done. Part of me wanted to rip that shirt off because I loved to look at him, but then I'd only want to touch him... From many places. Cough.

I walked straight forward and opened the door to the computer room.

"This is my computer room. That one is broken", I pointed at it, "but those two work just fine." Now I pointed first an old computer and then a laptop.

"You'll probably sleep in here in that couch, or if you want, (cough) you can sleep with me in my room." We both blushed, and without saying anything I continued the tour. Soon I was done, but here are some parts of our conversations:

In workroom:"Please wash your hands before you touch the piano, I don't want to see any fingerprints in it." -"Huh?"

In kitchen: "Eat what you want, but if you feel unsure, ask me before you take it. My family can be a little sensitive about food." -"Okay..." "Oh, and do not touch the wines." -"I'M UNDERAGE!"

In bathroom:"When you turn this, you can pick up what kind of adjustment you want. I think there are seven of them, including champagne-shower and massage, but please, just ask me to massage you if you need it, water is more expensive." -"Uh... Okay..." "No need to blush! I'm not asking you to undress yourself, I can massage trough clothes. But I won't, if you don't even ask."

After our little tour around my house Ed looked like he doubted that this was a good idea. I can't imagine the reason why, though...? I had given to Ed the world map and showed where we were. Now he was scanning trough our massive bookshelf, what wasn't a surprise for me. He had always read all the information from books, so why to change that habit now?

There was a bark from the backyard and I swore under my breath. I had forgotten about the dog. Hope it doesn't eat Ed... It didn't look so convincing, but it was wild and pretty dangerous when it wanted to be.

"Uh.. Ed? I forgot to tell you that I have a dog and I'm letting it in now. It'll probably jump on you, so just pet it and let it calm down. It's about Den's size and called Bert." Ed looked pretty uncertain about what he would soon face.

I went to open the door and then a black, big poodle rushed towards Ed and jumped at him. Even if it's a poodle, it's still heavy and pretty powerful. Never heard of what a policeman once told about poodles? I doubt you have. Here we go:

'"Poodles would be wonderful police dogs because of their power, speed and intelligence, but we still want our criminals alive; If they see that a poodle is chasing them, they'll die in laughter."'

"Are you all right?" I asked carefully and Ed groaned under Bert's weight.

"Beert, let Ed be. Come here, boy." Bert came to me wagging its tail and I looked at Ed who was now on the floor. "I'm sorry, but once Bert has done that, it will never happen again. But I warned you, didn't I?" I said, holding out a hand to help him up. He nodded and took my hand, getting up with my help. But, of course I pulled too strongly and he came towards me, not getting his balance back in time. Now he was really close to me, I could feel his warm body against mine... Scared of my feelings I back up in the same time as Ed. Oddly, our hands didn't part away.

"I'm sorry, I pulled too hard... You were lighter than I expected..." I said, blushing, and pulled my hand away.

"It's okay", Ed said, but I could see the red shade on his cheeks. He picked up the world map and started examining it again, probably to forget about that little accident. I respected his will to be left alone and went to the kitchen. A glass of water cleared my head a little and I started examining the situation. My dreams came true, but now, I felt really unsure what to do. I wanted him, in many ways, but rushing would drive him away. ... My looks would drive him away anyway.

I was told that I'm pretty, but how could I believe that? When I looked at the mirror, I saw a boring child face with scars from pimples in her forehead, long, brown hair and green(with a little gray) eyes. How I 

hated my face. There were nothing else wrong with my body: I got an athletic form; long muscular legs, good bearing, muscular arms, long thin fingers(pianist's hands) and my stomach was flat without any unnecessary fat. My breasts were okay too. Just the damn baby face.

Bert came next to me, wagging its tail. I leaned forward to pet it.

"It's time to go for a walk, right?" I thought about Ed. "Ed! I could show you around the town if you want!" I got an 'okay' from him and happily I pulled my shoes on. It was way more fun to go a walk with someone than alone. Soon Ed came to the lobby with his shoes in hand, looking out of the window.

"It's summer, you can go out like that, if that's what you're thinking about", I said and smiled at him.

"It's not that... This place is just so peaceful... Like Rizembul." What could I say to that? I just opened the door and stepped outside without a word with a smile on my lips.

We talked about lots of things, mostly about this world. He didn't mention Amestris and I didn't push the subject. When an airplane crossed the sky, he startled because of the voice and looked up.

"Was that... a plane?"

"Yeah... There are even some airplanes that fly faster than sound."(sound 1238,4km/h, 344m/s) Ed looked at me like I told a really bad joke, but when I didn't laugh, he just turned his head away and tried to melt that information.

One week later

We could call ourselves friends now and I had realized how much I enjoyed just to be with him. (I had also forgotten why I should treat him with respect.) His smile melted my heart and when he would laugh at my joke, I went to a dreamland. Wait, wasn't I in one already?

My friend was coming today and I had cleaned the whole house with Ed's help. She would arrive in 10 minutes and Ed had gone to the shower when I should be the one being there!

"ED! Hurry UP!" I shouted, banging the door furiously. Damn!

"Sorry, but this will take a while..."

"THAT'S IT! I'M COMING IN, LIKE IT OR NOT!" Only towel covering my naked body I went in, and even if I wanted to peek at him, I acted like he didn't even exist.

"You know, that's a little disturbing", he mumbled and I blushed. Was he watching me right now?

"It's your fault for going to shower at a time like this", I said and left my towel to the rack.

"Yeah, but still..."

"GEEZ ED, you're supposed to be a man, so stop acting like a goddamned chibi-child", without thinking I turned my head towards him. "WHAT?!" was the next thing I heard and then he turned around with fury. There we were, naked in the bathroom and Ed seemed to realize this almost as fast as I did. BUT, sometimes your eyes are faster than your mind. Luckily Ed saw only my back, but he had turned around 180°, so my view was far better than his. Blushing, we both turned around and said nothing for a while.

"... Sorry. But you really need to learn how to hold your temper down."

"... Ah. I'm sorry too."

"Actually, I didn't mind at all." I said with a grin playing on my lips.

"HUUUH?" Was what I got for a response. Okay, I shouldn't have said that. Giggling, I took the shampoo and started washing my hair, forgetting all about my friend... Because I had something else in my mind. SUCKS TO BE YOU, other Ed-fans! I saw something that you never will!

Silence overcome us, only the voice of running water was heard along the occasional steps. I really wanted to ask something from Ed, but I didn't know if I would dare to.

"Ed... I... could you probably..." But then the fucking doorbell rang.

"DANG IT!" I swore and stormed out of the shower, the balsam still in my hair, leaving a troubled Ed to stare at the wall.

"Ah, I'm sorry...! Could you wait in my room until I'm done with the shower, please?" My friend agreed (what else could she do than agree when I appear in front of her in a towel?) and I went back.

"Uh... What was that you wanted to ask from me a little while ago?" Ed asked and I wasn't so sure if I should tell him at all. 'Let's give it a try!' I thought.

"I just wondered... if... you'd want to wash my back?"

"WHAT?!" Okay, he didn't take it so well.

"Well, it's kinda hard to do it by yourself, you know... so, please?" I tried to sound normal, but one part of me wanted to giggle nervously.

"HELL NO." I giggled and turned the running water off, leaving him alone in the shower. I knew that I shouldn't tease Ed, but it was _so much fun_. He's a kindhearted guy, really. He won't get angry at you nor hurt you physically or mentally, just snaps and then sulks on his own. It's hard to believe how much he's been through, so sweet and caring guy he is from inside. Of course he has his temper and cold defensive shell around him, but that is just to protect him from all the things he has witnessed. Without that shell he would be insane.

The hairbrush in my hand was long forgotten and I was staring blankly at the mirror, deep in my thoughts. Sighing, I placed the brush on the table and closed my eyes, taking support from the wall with my left hand. ... I'm such an idiot, really. I'm dreaming about Ed, but when I discuss my chances in my mind, I realize that he doesn't deserve me. Maybe Winry, his child-time friend, would be better. Only if he gets the change to go back to Amestris.

I hit my head to the wall with a loud thump, but not in grief(well, maybe a little), but in guilt. Of course he will go back, in any way possible! He belongs to Amestris, next to his loving brother and Winry. It must be terrible to be apart from loved ones on the other side of the Gate, worried sick because of his brother's condition. Does Ed ask himself over and over again 'Is Al alive? And does he really have his body back?' It's surprising how he can even smile and laugh. He's strong, but it was never unexpected. After seeing death, misery and such things as he has, you can't be anything else than strong if you want to stay sane.

"Is something wrong?" His worried voice reached my ears and I startled, almost losing my balance. It was a good thing that I was taking support from the wall.

"Everything's fine." I said with a muffled voice, suddenly not daring to look at his golden eyes. I didn't know if I would burst into tears if I looked directly at him, so I stared at the room's corner and shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. My friend had probably gone home and wouldn't talk to me in ages what didn't make me feel better at all, but in the other hand I wasn't in the mood to laugh and babble with someone right now.

"C'mon, I'm not blind. Is this because of the shower-thing or is this something else?" His voice was so full of caring and worry, and all I could do was stare at a spider web in the corner, fighting the lump in my throat. How kind a man can be?

"I'm fine, really." I tried to keep my voice stable and then turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist and I looked at him, shocked. When my eyes met his, I tried to pull away and laid my gaze at the spider wed again. "Please, let go." My voice wasn't more than a silent whimper.

"I won't, until you tell me what's going on. You look like someone has died." He gently pulled my wrist towards him and I let a sigh escape from my lips.

"I doubt you want my pity. So, please let go." I tugged my hand and turned my wrist, but to my surprise, he didn't let go. Finally I raised my eyes from the corner and met his insignificant golden orbs staring at me. His mouth opened to speak.

"... If that makes you feel better, then maybe I could listen." My eyes widened. He has to know what I was thinking and still he didn't care if I would remind him about his painful past, about his brother and everything else what has been taken away from him. I had always thought that I wouldn't cry easily, but now the warm, salty tears leaked from my eyes and fell to the floor from my chin.

"How on earth can you still be so caring and kindhearted after all that you've been trough? Why are you caring for someone you hardly know, when you should be trying to find a way back to Amestris? I'm sure you're missing them, so why aren't you just trying to go back!" My voice was shaky and uncontrollable, and I almost screamed the last words, leaning against the wall and sliding down to the floor, gripping the white carpet with my shaking hands. Why on earth have I got to break down in front of him? This was so not like me. He hated to see people cry and he has got else things to do than watch a young teenager girl crying on the floor.

I couldn't see his expression, but I doubt he was happy; probably he was just blaming himself in all-too-kindly way of his, because a girl was crying in front of him.

He kneeled before me and placed a hand on top of my own, but I didn't raise my head to look at him, just sobbed on the floor, trying to regain control of myself. It looks like I didn't, because I hugged him without a second thought and squeezed tightly like my life depended on him. With a little lag he hugged me back, but it was just a friendly comforting without a real response from him. This just made me sob harder. He was still hiding himself behind that shell and didn't want to show his weakness. Maybe he unburdened his agony helping others and trying to keep them safe from the exact feelings he had. But it wasn't only that, he really was a caring person from the heart.

"I wonder if Winry has said this to you too... It's okay to share the burden with others." Hey, I wasn't the exactly right person to offer him this, or so I felt, but who else did he have now? To my surprise, he hugged me back with a new power and emotion and I buried my face to his warm chest, trying to get all the comfort from him what I could. His steady heartbeat calmed my own and slowly, my tears died down, drying to my pink cheeks. We stayed like that for a long time; at least it felt like an eternity to me. Heavenly eternity, if you want to be exact. We were only in our bathrobes, but we didn't notice this, or maybe we did, but it really didn't feel like the right time to think "Omg, let's do something pervented and then blush like crazy".

"... I do miss them, but... I don't want to take the risk and cross the Gate because of its deadly tricks. I can't be sure it won't take someone important to me if I try to go back, so I'll be more than happy to let them live in peace if I can pay their happiness by being here." His voice wasn't more than a whisper, but I heard it and bit my lover lip, trying to prevent from shedding tears anymore.

"So you will sacrifice everything important to you?" I asked, my voice starting to shake again, and it was hard to fight against the tears.

Ed was quiet for a while, before answering. "I think this is a rather fair trade. It would be worse. I'm not in hell, but in a different world where I can start over again and I don't need to fight anymore. When I look at the positive sides, I find many new chances I didn't have in Amestris and... I met you. It isn't all that bad in here." He rested his chin to my head and sighed, while I was biting my lover lip off.

"I'm glad to hear that. It's selfish to say, but I'm kinda lucky too. If I were in Amestis, you wouldn't even notice me." I said, making a laugh.

"I would like to deny that, but it might be true." With those words, I felt like our friendship had developed a little, and I think Ed did trust in me more now. I myself could leave my life in his hands, but that would be too much for him, because he himself had too much burden on his own without mine added to it.

Slowly it started to get dark, but I still didn't want to let go of him, I just wanted to be near him and breathe his scent, so I could remember it for the rest of my life. Some kind of snarling snapped me back to reality and first I wondered what it was, until I realized what that exact noise meant. I slowly backed away even if I didn't want to and smiled at him. "Come, let's see if there something to eat." Ed nodded and stood up, trying to keep his balance. We had been quite a while only sitting on the floor, so it's kinda understandable if his legs were stiff.

I told him to sit down and just stay there, I could handle this myself. I didn't doubt his skills, he actually can make delicious sandwiches and I don't believe it ends to that, but I kind of felt paying something back to him. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to "pay back", but one of the reasons is that I made him think about the past.

First I thought of doing only some sandwiches, but then I noticed the recipe of "köyhät ritarit"(eng. poor knights) and decided to make couple of them. I'm not sure of the poor knights' origin, but they are bread slices dipped in milk, egg and some spices and then fried in pan. It's fast, easy and good, so why not to do them?

I gave an apple to Ed so he wouldn't starve to death and started cooking. It took only 10 minutes to make five of them and pleased with myself, I put them to a plate. I was going to give them to Ed, but then I got an idea and backed away. With a knife I cut the slices on the form of heart and put some jam on them. When I carried the plate to the table, my bathrobe's belt kinda... uh.. Loosened and I couldn't tighten it because my hands were full, so Ed had a good time looking at me. And 'cause I was an idiot, I didn't turn away, but put the plate to the table and then tied the belt again. And for god's sake, he didn't look away! At least he got his food, even if it was served with an unusual style.

"Liked the view?" I asked, grinning, and he looked away, all red from toes to ears. Ed chose to be more interested in the food in front of him than to answer my sarcastic question. He raised a brow to the heart-shaped delicacy before devouring it with amazing speed. I giggled even if I was a little hurt by his bad mannered eating habits, it looked like he didn't appreciate the taste at all. But of course, he was hungry...

I wasn't hungry myself, so I just watched and waited for him to finish, and I can say that I didn't have enough time to get bored.

"Thanks for the food, it was good", he said without looking at me. Sighing I said "my pleasure" and took the plate in front of him before he could take it to the other dishes. 'Good' was all I could get from him, because his grumpy basic character denied him to say any greater compliment. It's the same for me, though. I just can't say any compliment to anyone with ease, it feels so difficult and I don't even know the reason why.

The phone rang and I went to answer it, wondering who it would be. Maybe just one of those magazine sellers... At least I hoped so.

"Virtanen, Sari." I always answered like that if I didn't know the caller. First the surname, then my first name.

"_Oh hi Sari! Been lonely?" _I gulped. In the phone was no one else than...

"Hi dad. ... No, not at all. I've had lots of things keeping me provoked." I glanced at Ed and he grinned kinda nervously... No, I really can't say what that grin exactly kept inside. He's really hard to read sometimes.

"_Ohhoh, you didn't keep one of those parties of yours? Had any guys invited?"_ I could easily imagine my dad grinning on the other end of the line. Goddamned lucky that Ed couldn't hear any of my dad's words.

"Shaddup. But, I do have a surprise for you when you come back." I said and Ed tilted his head a little.

"_I can hardly wait. Till tomorrow, my darling."_

"Uh. Tomorrow...? Yeah... Till then. See ya." Before he could response I shut the phone and looked at Ed who stopped half way through putting his hair to a high ponytail.

"I forgot that my dad is coming tomorrow! Start planning something out and fast!" I said and Ed sighed.

"I can't believe you..."

"Shuddup. I always forget the time when I've got good company. By the way, you look better with your hair tied on a ponytail than a braid." I said in a normal tone.

"Huh?"

"So... I'll say something like this to him: You're from Japan and came to visit your friend in Finland... Uh, not like that, maybe..." I started explain some really random stuff and Ed looked troubled.

"GODDAMMIT. What on Earth will we say? Tell the truth? That's maybe the best choice, but are you okay with it?" I really wanted to know Ed's opinion on this.

"Uh..."

"We won't tell anything more than necessary. Just that you are from Amestris and try to convince them. It's a good thing you can do alchemy, because they just have believe their own eyes, right? ... If you want show them, that is."

"I don't find any problems with it, so, sure." He smiled at me and I responded to it from the bottom of my heart.

"He'll probably ask you to help him with the garden, dishes and such too..." I said and tried to look sorry about it, but he just shrugged and told that it was okay.

"Well, now when that's solved, maybe we should get dressed... Ah, that reminds me. When dad comes home, I'll persuade some money from him and then we will go shopping. You can't always just transmute my old clothes for you." His face was worth seeing. He had probably gone shopping with Winry before, because he didn't look like he was happy about it. Of course I'll buy something for me too, but not that much... Maybe a shirt or five... I need a pair of new jeans too...

* * *

Well, did you like it? Want to read more or be my beta? Please review and tell your thoughts!  
**Next time:** Shopping, some random stuff and the meeting with the father! Look forward to it!

A little poll:  
Should Sari get Ed, or will they be only friends?  
Please tell me your opinion!

- Xanta Claus


	2. The Dad of Doom

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

**I'm looking for a BETA, so if you're interested, please send me an e-mail or tell it in your review!**

**A Finnish Dream**

**Chapter 2 "Dad of Doom"**

I soon realized that Ed wasn't a morning person. At all. When I always woke up at 8 o' clock, he would snore till 12am. Normally I let him sleep, but because dad was coming home today, I just had to defy our relationship as friends and wake him up by all means necessary.

"I'm doomed", I said to myself when I stood next to him, watching as he slept peacefully.

"OKAY EDWARD ELRIC, TIME TO WAKE UP!" I screamed in his ear and punched him to the stomach, which made that damned idiot only stir and change his position.

"It seems that I really have to use _that_…" I backed off and shut the door behind me.

"WHERE ARE YOU EDWARD ELRIC, THE SMALLEST RUNT IN THE WORLD?!"

"WHOAREYOUCALLINGSOSMALLTHATHEWILLDROWNINADROPOFWATER?!" The door swung open and Ed stormed outside, looking like he could kill anyone who stepped in his way.

"Why are you yelling? No one has called you short. You just had a dream", I asked as I sat on the sofa, watching TV as if nothing had happened, "but, as it seems that you're awake, you should as well get dressed, my dad will arrive in a few hours", I stated and Ed grumped something in response. It's probably better that I didn't understand what he said, for both of us. I and the home were ready for guests, only Ed and his horrible bed hair needed some tidying-up.

Ed stepped outside after ten minutes, and he probably thought that he was all set; oh how wrong he was. His shirt was rumbled, his hair was still upright and his chin needed to be shaved.

"Give me your shirt, go and get a shower and shave your bristle", I said as I switched off the TV and extended a hand for the shirt.

"Why? What are you going to do with my shirt?" He wasn't obedient at all today, and I understood why. It was my fault, after all, or so he thought. It was his fault for not waking up earlier!

"I'll iron it. Remember to wash your hair properly." I said and gripped his shirt, pulling it off forcefully.

He strode to the shower with only his trousers on, and I stared at his wonderful ass and back before he disappeared behind the corner. While he was in the shower, I did as I said; I ironed the shirt, but before that I took a long nice sniff of his scent.

It didn't take him long to wash his hair, as he was soon outside with a towel wrapped around his waist and I smiled at him. (The room where the ironing board is, is next to our shower and sauna.)

"Okay, dress up but don't put your shirt on so your hair won't wet it. Come to me when you're ready." When he went to get his trousers, I looked for the hair dryer and a brush.

"Where are you?" I heard him call for me.

"In here!"

"And where is 'in here'?"

"Right in here of course!"

"Stop playing around", he grunted as he came. I told him to sit down on a chair and started brushing his wet, messy hair.

"I still don't understand how your hair can get so tangled up", I groaned as I tried to brush it straight.

"Just hurry up." I knew that Ed wasn't so thrilled of the idea that I was meddling with his hair, but I was sure that if I let Ed dry his hair on his own, it would be as messy as it was before washing. I took the dryer in my hand and started stroking his head while drying. He didn't say anything, but his body language gave him away; his shoulders relaxed and I knew he enjoyed it. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?" He asked as he stiffened again and I sighed.

"Nothing at all", I said and reached for the brush. He didn't stay silent for long.

"Don't press that hard, you're scraping my scalp", he whined and I stopped.

"Sorry. Did you like the fingers better?" I asked and put the brush aside when he nodded.

"Yeah…" Hah, he admitted it! So, I massaged his head with my left hand while having the dryer in my other one. I wanted to continue, but I just had to stop when his hair was dry, except his bangs that I had left wet for a reason. I was going to bend those inwards a little so they wouldn't just hang there.

"What are you doing?" Ed raised his eyebrows when I rolled his bangs loosely around the brush and dried them.

"Don't worry, I won't bend them by much", I said and took a step back. "Okay, you're ready", I said while patting him on the shoulder. He tensed under my touch and I puckered my brows. "What's wrong? You tensed all of sudden. You need to relax", I said as I massager his only visible shoulder a little with my thump.

"Have you ever stretched your shoulders? These are rock-hard, you know", I said while pressing one spot with my thump. I knew it would hurt, but I didn't expect him to whine.

"Ow! That hurts", he said as he tensed his shoulders even more.

"I would be surprised if it wouldn't. C'mon, tensing won't help. I don't have time now, but if they begin to ache, ask me to massage them, ok? Your shirt is over there." He rose up and pulled his shirt on, while I gathered my things and put them to their places.

Then the doorbell of doom rang.

"Damn he's early. Ed, he's here!" I ran to the door and opened it, revealing my smiling dad.

"Oh Sari! I've been missing you so much that I just had to speed over here to see you. Don't tell mom, okay?", he said while stepping inside and winking at me. "I'm also thrilled to see the surprise you got for your dear daddy! So, where it is?" He asked eagerly as he but his luggage down and hugged me.

"Uh, you mean where _he_ is…" I mumbled and winced when I saw dad's expression.

"What? You have a boyfriend? Oh my, my little girl has grown up so fast! So, where is he? Are you sure he's good enough for you, daddy's little angel? I promise that if he does anything stupid, I'll shoot a hole in his head!" My watery-eyed dad said, and I sighed.

"No dad, you got it all wrong. He's just a friend, who has been staying here for a week now! WE ARE NOT A COUPLE", I said, my face scarlet from anger and embarrassment. "Ed, come out, where ever you are!" I shouted so my dad would stare at someone else than me. It was getting pretty disturbing.

Ed appeared behind a corner and stopped in his tracks. I kinda understood why. When he mouthed 'Hughes', I knew that he had realized it too. Yep, that's right; my dad is Maes Hughes' alter. And NO, it's not fun at all. Except for the fact that I get everything I want, but he can be so… damn overprotective.

"So, who are you, young man? I'm Hans Virtanen, nice to meet you. Promise to take good care of my daughter? I can understand why she chose you, she has her room full of pictures of a guy who looks like you. Can't remember his name though, was it Ed?"

"DAD!" I shouted, but he didn't listen to me.

"Uh, I'm Edward Elric, Ed for short, we are not a couple and yes, I am very aware of those pictures she removed pretty soon after I arrived." Ed said and took a step back, wait a minute, was he scared? Well, he was as scarlet as I was, but was Edward Elric scared of my dad?

"Edward Elric? Dear, wasn't that the name of that anime-guy you're always talking about?", dad turned his head towards me, and when I nodded, his brows knitted together and he looked at Ed. "Young man, you better tell me your real name, or I'll throw you out." Ed looked at me as if he was begging for help, and I came to the rescue.

"Dad, he's telling the truth! He IS Edward Elric! Remember how I always told you how good he is at hand-to-hand combat and that he can do alchemy just by clapping his hands? Wait here!" I said as I sprinted to my room and came back with the little crystal horse Ed fixed a week ago.

"Remember this, dad? Ed fixed it!" And with that, I snapped it in half. Ed got the hint, clapped his hand together and with a blue flash of light the horse was whole again. My dad watched in disbelief and raised his brows in surprise.

"Well, this is truly a surprise. You two aren't kidding, right? It just sounds impossible", he said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Please dad, let him stay! He has no other place to go!" I begged, and dad sighed.

"People will question it. He doesn't have a guardian or any papers that proves his identity; it will become a problem at the latest when he starts looking for a job."

"Don't worry, he'll eventually find a way to return, and until that day comes, he will help us here at home", I said and pulled his sleeve, using the puppy eyes.

"Well, if it's like that. You better to be ready to work your ass off", he said with an evil grin and I hugged both Ed and dad.

"Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I squealed, overjoyed.

"Oh, dad, could you give me some money so we could go shopping? We both need new clothes." Dad smiled happily. "Of course! Here, try to survive with this, okay?" He said and handed 500 Euros to me. I stared in disbelief, and stuttered 'thanks'.

"Have fun. I'm going to town tomorrow and I'll buy you some condoms then, 'cause you're probably too shy to do it yourselves." He said and winked at us.

"DAD!" I shouted, but he just laughed.

"Come on, let's leave this jerk alone with his stupid jokes", I said and pulled him to the lobby.

"Really, don't take him seriously, he's always like that…" I told while pulling my shoes on.

"Ed?" I wondered why he was so silent and looked at him.

"Sari… What is a condom?"

I fell to the floor.

After a good explanation

"So, he implied that we…" Ed left the sentence hanging, and I nodded.

"Yeah", I said and turned my scooter to the right. "Just forget it, he likes to pull people's legs", I said as I parked my scooter in front of H&M. "Okay, I think we'll find something from here." Ed followed right on my heels and looked really uncomfortable for many reasons. One of them was the fact that people were staring at his automail and eyes, wrinkling their noses.

"C'mon", I said and took his hand, pulling him towards the boys' clothes department. There were less people, and I sighed in relief.

"I can't believe them. I'm sorry, Finns are pretty blunt people, but I really thought we had more manners than that. I'm ashamed", I said and bowed my head.

"Don't worry about it, It's okay." I raised a brow at this, but when he shrugged, I started looking around and got lunatic look to my eyes.

"We'll take that… and that… White or red? Let's take both! C'mon, you're left behind!" I rushed around, while Ed was trying to keep up.

"KYAAH! WONDERFUL!" I screamed and took a nice-looking shirt in my hands.

"Sari, calm down…"

"Okay, let's go there, so you can try these on…"

"Wheew, we lucked out! There's a free fitting room!" I said and pulled Ed in with me. "Okay, try that with this… If it looks good, put that on… Remember to show all of them to me… And this and this…" Ed groaned and scratched his neck in irritation.

"I'll wait outside, tell me when you're ready!" I said cheerfully and closed the curtain.

"Sari?" A voice called next to me, and I saw my friend Heidi sitting next to me.

"Heidi! Mitä sä täällä?" (Heidi, What are you doing here?) I asked, delighted to see my friend.

"No mitä luulet, shoppailemassa tietysti. Niina on just pukukopissa. Puhuiks sä just äsken enkkua tai jotain?" (What do you think, shopping of course. Niina is inside of a fitting room right now. Did you just talk in English or something?) She asked and I giggled.

"Joo. Ostan kaverin kanssa vaatteita, kuten säkin." (Yeah, I'm bying clothes with my friend, like you.)

"En tiennyt että sulla on ulkomaalaisia kavereita." (I didn't know you had foreign friends.) Heidi said and I smirked.

"I'm ready", I heard Ed say, and I told him to open the curtain. He did, and I stared.

"Well well, it seems that you can wear anything and still look good, Ed." I said. He wore dark blue jeans and a white blouse.

"Raise the collar up and open a few buttons from your neck", I said and giggled when I noticed that Heidi was staring as well. While Ed was doing as told, he asked:"Who is she?"

"Oh. She's my friend, Heidi. Heidi, this is Edward, Ed for short." Heidi and Ed nodded at each other and Heidi whispered in my ear:"_Oot hiton onnekas." _(You're damn lucky.) I giggled and pushed her away.

"Shut up. He's not my boyfriend." I laughed.

"Go back and try on that other shirt", I said and Ed closed the curtain, happy to get away from Heidi's gaze. Niina came out a couple of seconds after and greeted me, before asking our opinion on her tight blue t-shirt.

"Se on ihan ok." (It's quite OK.) I said and shrugged, I didn't feel like focusing on her when Ed stepped outside again. He had the same jeans, but now he had a long black almost skintight sleeveless shirt with a collar like in a blouse.

"Whoa. That we're so buying", I said and rose up from my seat.

"Turn around", I ordered and realized just how well it fitted. His shoulders looked even broader, and his muscled left arm was something that should never be covered. The shirt revealed some of his collarbones and I just had to touch the collar with my fingers.

"Girls, tell me what you think", I asked and turned towards them.

"Well, he's fucking sexy", Heidi said and I laughed while Ed blushed.

"I meant the shirt, Heidi. The shirt!" I said between giggles.

"Oh, I think it's pretty OK, but I bet he looks better without it." I laughed so hard that I had to take support from the wall.

"Hear that, Ed? Don't use shirts at all, girls will like it and we save money", I said while poking him to the stomach with my index finger. He glared daggers at me, but I only laughed harder.

"It's nice", Niina said, but when I looked at her, we both burst into a snicker-fit.

"Go on, try out the others", I said and wiped tears from my eyes, while gripping my hurting stomach.

"Leave the curtain open!" Heidi said cheerfully.

"I think that's enough. Heidi, calm down", I said and sat back to my place, but I just couldn't stop grinning.

From there on we were calmer and Ed actually got to say his opinions, but it was a different matter if I wanted to listen to him.

"Sääli että se puhuu vaan enkkua. Mut panisin kuitenkin." (It's a shame that he speaks only English. But I would still fuck him.) Heidi said, and I smiled half-heartedly. She saw this and started teasing about it.

"Sä tykkäät siitä, eiks nii?" (You like him, don't you?) I blushed and Heidi disappeared behind the curtain that hid Niina.

"Saatiin tehtävä. Kato ku Sari on ihan hulluna tohon tyyppiin, mut se on niin toivoton, että meiän täytyy puuttuu asiaan." (We got a job. You know, Sari is crazy about that guy, but she so helpless that we have to interfere.) I heard them both giggle, and I was afraid of the things they would do. I know that they just wanted to help, but I did doubt their ways of doing it.

"Oota tässä", (Wait here) they both said in unison and ran somewhere. Ed stepped outside to see them running past him and he raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged and told him to turn around.

After a while, Niina and Heidi came back with some really tiny looking bikinis.

"Ei helvetissä", (No way in hell) I stated and took a step back, when Heidi pushed them towards me.

"Pistät nää päälle ja kysyt Ediltä mielipidettä. Noni, antaa mennä", (You put these on and ask Ed's opinion. C'mon.) Heidi said and suddenly they both seemed almost scary and felt how I went on the defensive. I dropped my head in surrender and they pushed me behind the curtain with many way too exposing clothes in my hands. They couldn't be called "clothes", strips of cloths fitted better. Sighing I pulled one of the bikinis on and I heard how Heidi explained to Ed that I was trying something on.

"I'm ready in a sec", I said and tied two loosely hanging strings to a bow.

"Okay!" I stepped outside and tried to smile normally at Ed, who stared at my dark red bikini. Heidi, who was standing behind Ed, motioned me to go closer to him.

"I just have to say that black suits you", I said as I bent down to look at the length of the hem.

"Are these tight from somewhere?" I asked as I rose up, and Ed grunted a 'no'.

"I think these need a belt. Niina, could you go looking for one? Try to find one that's black and has a cool buckle. No princess-decorations, thank you very much." Niina saluted and took off.

"So, while were waiting for the belt, you should as well say something about that bikini Sari wears", Heidi said while smiling slyly and I mentally cursed her to hell.

"Nice color", he said and Heidi rolled her eyes.

"Well, I think it looks good on her. That will be good when Sari wants a nice full body tan, because it doesn't cover anything unnecessarily."

"Whatever", he grunted and shifted his weight to his left leg with a faint clank.

"So, do you like that shirt?" I asked as I approached him and eyed the shirt. It looked pretty good, a long-sleeved, skin-tight white shirt and on top of that a tight red top.

"It's OK, but maybe a bit too tight?" He said while I pulled the sleeves up a bit. "Says someone who wears skintight pants… But we don't need to buy those if you don't want to." I raised an eye-brow at him, and he shrugged, glaring daggers at people who stared at us.

"These were all I could find!" Niina called as she came with four belts in hand. Every one of them was black and had either silver- or gold-colored buckle. When I saw the one with the skull-buckle, I glanced at Ed and immediately noticed that he had seen it too. "Don't even think about it", I growled and Ed stared at me. "You don't like it? I think it's totally bad-ass!" I took the belts and stared at the damn skull, realizing that it looked pretty much the same Ed always created when possible. We stared at each other for a long time, neither of us giving in. The store was chilly, and cold shivers ran through my body, making me to sneeze loudly and lose our staring-contest.

"Okay, we'll take that, but let me choose another one that isn't as _outstanding_ as this is", I said and put the belt on top of the growing pile of clothes. Ed had a cocky grin on his lips as he watched me go through the other belts, but it faltered a little when I started sliding one of the belts on. Even if he had lasted well till now, he had a bikini-wearing girl kneeling down in front of him and working around his proverbial. I didn't know about him, but my heart was hammering against my chest plate from excitement and fear, because I had no idea how he would react, but from this close I saw pretty well the slight bulge in his pants. I wanted to lay my hand on it, but I just closed the buckle with shaky hands and backed off, because I respected him as a human. I reminded myself of the fact that he wasn't my toy, and eyed the buckle, -I just couldn't help but glance at the bugle too- trying to calm my raging heart. 

When I met Ed's eyes, I realized just how uncomfortable he was feeling and I told Niina and Heidi to shut their mouths with a deadly glare.

"I think that'll do. Okay, I'm getting a bit cold so I'll change back to my own clothing. You change too, Ed, so we can go to look for shoes and a jacket." Ed looked relieved when he disappeared behind the curtain, and I felt guilty for playing around with him again. "You two", I whipped around and pointed my two friends with my index finger, "You can go put these back to their places _as a punishment_", I whispered the last few words so Ed wouldn't hear and gave an armful of clothes for both of them. They left and I chanced back to my own clothes as fast as I could, shivering from cold. A while after my cell phone rang, and I read the new message.

"_What did we do?" _I snarled and typed back:"Couldn't you see how uneasy Ed felt? Thanks for a good intention, but you only screwed things up!"

I stepped outside the bikini in my hand and saw Ed standing in front of me with the clothes. I smiled and motioned him to follow me.

The clothes were soon paid and we bought blue jeans, black trousers, white loose capris, black cap, three different blouses, five t-shirts, two tops, three underwear, one bikini and two belts in total. The price? 246e (282.28 USD, 193.15 GBP), which leaves us with 254e to spend.

"Okay, now the shoes…" I dragged Ed, who of course was carrying our purchases, to K-kenkä. "Lacoste is probably the best brand we can find from here… I hate this small town." I saw them right away, and fell in love with them in the same time. "OMG, those are wonderful. Hmm… This is probably your size. C'mon, try it on!" I had spotted pair of Swerve mixes, as it read on the shelf. I had planned to buy white shoes, but there were only black Swerve mixes with light grey heels, so it couldn't be helped.

(A/N: If you want to see these shoes, use google and search for "lacoste swerve mesh mix" pictures)

"So, are those too small or big?" I asked when Ed pulled a shoe on and examined them.

"I could try one size bigger", he said and pulled the shoe off, giving it to me. I put it back to the shelf and reached for a bigger pair, standing on my tiptoes. I almost slammed against the shelf when I lost my balance, but saved myself with Ed's right shoulder that I had gripped. "Sorry", I said and reached again, this time getting the pair. I took them down separately, not letting go of Ed's shoulder. He just sat still, looking at me with slight amusement.

"You know, you could have used this bench here", Ed said and pointed the bench he was sitting on. I let go of his shoulder to slap him in the chest, there was no point in hitting him in the right arm, and glared at him. "You say that now?" He shrugged and pulled the shoes on.

"Well, they look nice, what do you think?" I asked after Ed had walked a little round around the shop.

"Well, they're OK to walk, and they look nice, but they're just so different to mine…" He said while pacing around.

"Of course they're different, but that's just it, you should try out new things sometimes", I said smiling and started digging out my wallet.

"Okay, after buying these, we only need a jacket and a pair of gloves…" I mumbled to myself, while Ed bought the shoes.

"You need to make that a few pairs of gloves", Ed said as he approached with a plastic bag in his hand, "I have a great ability of destroying my gloves." He laughed and I grinned.

"I doubt you're going to transmute that automail of yours while you're in here?" I said, cocking an eyebrow as he shrugged.

"You never know."

Something crossed my mind. "Well, you're so used to fights that I wouldn't be surprised if you transmuted your arm when I scare you from behind", I said matter-of-factly.

"A good reason for not doing so", he said and looked me with serious eyes.

"But yeah, so, um, are you going to continue sparring or whatever you do, push-ups and that?" I said, and he raised his eyebrows before saying:"You're totally clueless".

"Hey!" I said in irritation, but he just continued walking.

"Well, I think you should continue doing your exercises, because when you get back, you don't know what you're going to face, and plus, food nowadays has way more energy than the food back in early 1990's. You'll get fat." He growled at my words and swung around. "Why wouldn't you tell me then with who I could spar with? If you don't remember, Al is on the other side of the Gate!" I stopped right on my tracks and stared at him. "Oh. That's right. Well, I could spar with you." He stared at me in disbelief and 

I scratched my head. "Well, you'd need to teach me first, but it's better than nothing, right?" He didn't say anything, just looked me up and down and then sneered.

"Sorry, you're too fragile. I don't need a sparring partner who will black out from one punch. I could break your neck with two fingers, you know", I opened my mouth to argue, but he stopped me with a raised hand, "and what would your dad think when he sees you bruised? He'd kill me!" He said and I bit my lip in irritation. Why did every one of our conversations end up with arguing?

"Please Ed, I REALLY want to learn how to defense myself from rapists and robbers. Dad will understand, so, please! I promise to do my best!" I probably looked like a little kid in a candy shop who wasn't allowed to buy anything, but I didn't give a damn. I didn't want to lose this change to learn hand-to-hand combat and the extra time I could have with Ed. I had dreamed of both since I was 12 years old!

"We'll see about that", he sighed and I smiled, knowing that he would at least try.

"Thank you, Ed! … Oh yeah, it seems that we walked past the shop a long time ago", I said and turned around, leading Ed back to the town center.

We ended up buying three white pairs of gloves and a black jacket. As you can imagine, Ed chose the colors.

"So, now you have new clothes, a toothbrush, your own shampoo, deodorant, lip balm, shaver… I don't think we forgot anything."

He said nothing, but when I thought of it, he really didn't have to. But I was trying to make up a conversation with him, damn it! I hated silence.

"Is there anything you'd want to do today? Like teaching me how to fight?" I asked with a smirk, and I heard him groan behind me.

"Whatever. But we need to go jogging before that, or you'll strain something", he said and I nodded while parking my scooter to our yard.

"I'll just change, and then we can go!" I yelled and ran inside, kicking off my shoes, Ed following suit with the shop bags in hand.

"Oh Sari, Ed, you're back! Where's the fire?" My dad asked when I run past him and Ed just smiled and shrugged before disappearing to his room.

"It's good that it's an evening already, maybe the temperature has lowered a little", I shouted trough my door to Ed, and he grunted something in response. Damn that caveman.

"Sorry for bothering to you", I murmured and grabbed a blue top from the wardrobe. When I pulled it on, I wondered if it exposed too much. After all, Ed should concentrate on teaching me, not watching my belly button, and the top left my whole stomach and lower back uncovered. The neckline was pretty deep too and by my breasts read: "If you can read this, you're too close" with tiny white letters, and if Ed really wanted to read it, he needed to come nearer than 60cm…

"He has seen Winry in a tube top so many times that he won't probably even realize how exposing this damn top is", I thought out loud. And I didn't want to sweat like a pig in this heat! I had been okay with a t-shirt and capris while we were shopping, thanks to the cool shops, but now, when we were going to do some exercises, I decided to take my black mini shorts in use, so any unnecessary fabric wouldn't come in my way when I needed to stretch.

I heard when Ed opened his room door and walked to the lobby. I pulled my hair hastily to a high ponytail and run again past dad yelling:"Ed's going to teach me how to fight! How cool is that?!"

While I was pulling on my sneakers, Ed looked me up and down and said:"You realize that when you fall, you will get scratches all over your body because you don't have any fabric covering your arms and legs."

"Oh yeah, you're right. Well, if it seems like I'm going to scrape myself all over, I'll change. It's so hot that I will get all sweaty without even running around. And on top of all, I want to tan!" I said with a smile and walked outside.

"It's already too late then", he said under his breath and looked at the woods.

"I think well jog in the forest. It's cooler in there and you'll have to watch your step", he said with a thoughtful expression, and I looked to the woods with a smile on my face. It would be fun, jogging in the nature with a good friend. Except for the mosquitoes.

"Oh yeah! We need repellent", I said and snatched a bottle from a table in the lobby, jumping energetically in and out of the house like a puppy that couldn't wait to get its toy. I sprayed a good amount to my legs, hands, stomach, chest and lastly I rubbed it to my face.

"Could you spray my back, I can't reach there myself", I asked and offered him the spray, which he took and raised an eyebrow at the red bottle.

"Are mosquitoes that bad in here?" He asked and shook the bottle before spraying my back, which I had turned towards him.

"You can of course try to walk in the woods and see if you want to use repellent next time we go there", I said with an evil smirk and he sprayed his arms obediently, obviously getting the hint.

In the woods

"Okay, now start punching the air like this. Remember that you're not supposed to use power, this is only for warming up. Let the punches be relaxed", Ed said while jogging beside me. I knew this exercise and thought it would be easy, but the last time I was doing it, I was jogging on a road paved with asphalt, not in woods where were stones and roots on the ground like they really wanted me to trip!

When I was focusing on my hands, -It's pretty hard to keep your punches relaxed but sharp at the same time!-, I forgot to look where I was stepping at. My left foot landed badly on a rock and slipped, and I couldn't get my balance back. It's weird, really. When you realize that you're falling, you just see the ground coming towards you and you wait for the coming pain. Everything was going smoothly downwards, till I stopped in midair.

"This is why I said it will be a good exercise to run in the woods. You have to focus on your feet too." I looked to my left and saw Ed leaning forward, his automail arm supporting me.

"Whew, I'm saved. Thanks, Ed", I said with a smile, letting him pull me back up, but I wondered when he would let go of my breast. Maybe he hadn't even noticed, because his automail hand couldn't feel anything.

"Okay, let's continue and this time look where you're going… ack." Ha, he noticed. He pulled his hand away and I giggled.

"I wanted to see if it was unintentional or not", I said with a smile, while he apologized.

"Don't worry, it's okay. I prefer you touching my breasts to being covered in mud on the ground", I laughed and started jogging again, this time looking where I stepped. He followed suit and was soon again next to me. I looked at him occasionally from the corner of my eye, but it was always a quick glimpse, because I had to concentrate on my hands and jogging.

"You make it seem so easy", I whined when I had again almost tripped over, but got my balance back in time.

"Just think about the difference between our experiences", he said with an evident smile on his lips.

"Okay, you may have the stamina to run to China, but I'm going to walk for a while", I huffed and slowed down to a lively walking space. Ed slowed down as well, but he kept jogging and punching the air.

"Roll your arms while walking", he said and took off like a lightning. I had always known that he was fast, especially the manga had emphasized it, but seeing it with your own eyes was something else. The start was the fastest, because he slowed down soon.

'_Oh yeah. He probably just wanted to see if his automail was still acting fast when the order comes.'_ I also remembered that going at the maximum speed was never good for the body when continuing it for long, and that is why athletes rarely used all of their power at one time when training.

"Taking off like that… Do you understand how much I wanted to chase after you? I love running and competition, even though I would have probably lost."

"Sorry, I just wanted to know that my automail was forking fine. I don't want strain it if something's wrong."

"How do you know with just one sprint that everything is okay or not?"

"I listen to it, and if it works perfectly, I won't feel any tugging on my nerves or it won't fall behind." I nodded and led us back to our backyard.

"Okay… now, take a stance you think is good when fighting", he said while putting his hands in his pockets.

"Uh? Okay…" I tried to remember how Ed always stood before fights, and I spread my legs to lower my center of gravity, clenched my left hand to a fist and pulled it back, while the other went forward to shield.

"Pretty good, but you're killing your knee. Move your right leg to the side", he told and kicked my right foot, causing me to lost balance and fall to the ground.

"See? You should feel yourself stable and firm while standing, but you look like I could blow you away", he lectured and offered his hand to pull me up. I tried again, and this time he had to push me down with his hand. Ed laughed when he pulled me up and patted me on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry to say, but even though your stance is satisfying enough, you really don't scare me at all. You seem to wait for someone to tackle you. Look." Ed took his own fighting stance and when my eyes locked to his, I saw the new side of Ed. The one who would kick my ass and hard. I couldn't pry my eyes off of him, and he started scaring me more and more, little by little. He had an ominous aura around him and the fact that he just stood there without moving a centimeter made it worse. Even though he was 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) shorter than me when we were standing straight, he looked massive in my eyes right now.

"C'mon, try to make me fall. You can run towards me if you want."

"Okay…" I walked over to him, and pushed him with all my bodyweight, but he only bent a little and then pushed me away. I tried again, this time doing everything faster, and when I was on him with all my weight, I slipped my left leg behind his own and tripped him. I couldn't enjoy my victory for long though, because he pulled me down with him to the ground, did a somersault and ended up sitting on top of me.

"Damn. My head is spinning", I said when he pulled me up.

"I'm not going to apologize. But it's good that you realized that you need to take off my support to make me fall", he took his stance again, "now, throw a direct punch at me. Think you really want to hurt me, and don't worry, even if you could punch me, I'm not going to die from it."

'_But I don't want to hurt you!' _"Okay." I went with my left hand and threw a fast punch towards me, or so I thought. He was even faster; he directed my hand away from his face with his other hand and stopped a punch a mere centimeter away from my stomach.

"Pretty ok, but don't tense your shoulders so much. It takes speed from your punch. Now, the other hand." I threw a punch with my right hand, but he grabbed it and lifted me to his shoulder.

"Okay, that was pathetic. I can see which hand is your dominant hand."

"Let me down!" I ordered while banging his back with my fists, but he just laughed.

"Try to get out. There are no rapists or kidnappers who take orders from you." I gritted my teeth and grabbed his braid.

"If I break your neck?" I asked and he let me down.

"Okay, now a kick", he said after he had redone his precious braid. I swallowed and hoped everything would go well. I couldn't reach his upper body with my kick right know, I was so stiff, but maybe I could kick his stomach.

'_And if I miscalculate and kick lower than that… DAMN, I need to kick towards his stomach!' _I thought and shifted my weight to my right leg so I could kick with my left. I tried something that looked like a roundhouse kick, but my back wouldn't bend enough and I fell to the ground when I lost my balance. Ed looked at me in disbelief and I laughed nervously.

"Ehheh… I'll try again." This time I just swung my leg from my side to the front and was able to kick him, but couldn't come back to my stance quick enough (my balance was off again) and Ed grabbed my leg after deflecting it with his automail.

"You have horrible balance and you need to stretch your muscles, but even with those flaws your kick is pretty powerful compared to someone else who has same punch-power as you. I didn't expect it after your lame punches and I had to use my automail arm. Now, kick with your right." He let go of my left leg and I wobbled back to my stance. I leaned forward and tried to keep all of my weight around my supporting left leg, but when I pulled my leg back from the kick, I leaned too much to the left side and Ed just poked me to the ground with his finger.

"Okay, it seems that your right leg is actually stronger than your left. Let's practice punches, we will not get back to kicks before you have better balance and your back and sides bend more."

So, we practiced punches the next half an hour until we were interrupted by my annoying 10-years old neighbor.

"Moi Sari! Mitä te teette?" (Hi Sari, what are you doing?) She asked from the other side of the fence and I sighed.

"Moikka, Sanni. Ed tässä opettaa mulle itsepuollustusta", (Hiyah, Sanni. Ed here is teaching me self-defense.) I told and looked at Ed, who was staring at the kid with a dull face.

"Ed, here's Sanni Haapala, Sanni, tässon Edward Elric", I introduced them to each other, but Ed didn't walk to the fence so he could shake hands with the girl. I would have done the same, though. I really 

didn't like when she wouldn't leave me alone when I was on my own backyard, and Ed obviously didn't appreciate the interruption.

"Mut joo, me varmaa jatketaa tässä, joten…", (But yeah, we'll probably continue, so…) I turned my back to her and Ed did the same. I was happy that Sanni didn't say anything, possibly because she realized that Ed didn't speak Finnish. But she still hung on the fence and looked at us until her mom called her.

"Okay, this is enough for now. Stretch your muscles, I'll do some crunches and such."

I watched while he worked, and I really saw just how he got all that muscle. The most stunning exercise was push-ups with one hand, and when I asked about it, he said that he didn't want to strain the automail more than necessary, because he didn't have a mechanic around right now.

We were both stretching on the grass when dad came with cold drinks and we took them happily.

"Thanks, dad!" He winked at us and turned around.

"Oh, try to hold your horses tonight so I can go buy condoms tomorrow, okay?" He said and waved at us when he went back inside. Ed almost choked in his drink and I blushed scarlet.

"Damn him. It's not like Ed would want anything like that from me", I murmured to my drink and after that realized that I had spoken aloud. "Shit." I turned my head to see Ed staring at me behind his drink. Poor guy probably forget to swallow when he heard me. _'Well, said and done.'_

"Thanks for the lesson, Ed", I said and rose up to leave.

"Wait, I'll come too", Ed yelled after me and jogged to catch me up, "you better not whine tomorrow when your every possible muscle aches."

"Oh, you're going to do something to break my heart?" I asked playfully, but Ed didn't understand my joke.

"What?"

"C'mon, heart is a muscle", I told and he rolled his eyes. "I knew that, but I thought you'd understand what I meant."

"I did, I just had to be a pettifogger." Ed shot a nasty glare at me, and I just smirked.

"Okay, I'm going to the shower first…"

"Hey! I was the one who taught you!"

"Either I go first, it's my home after all, or we go together." For a moment I was sure that I would get the whole shower to myself, but when Ed said that he would get his towel my jaw hit the floor.

'_I need to find a way to see him naked!' _I thought while undressing myself. Even a small glimpse would be wonderful… Just the thought of it made butterflies fly inside of my stomach.

But I didn't luck out. He left after only 10 minutes, saying that he was ready. Damn again.

* * *

Okay, there aren't going to be any chapters after this in a LOOONG time. I realized that I have too many ongoing stories to write, and I just had to cut off two of them. Sorry, if you were/are a fan of a Finnish Dream.

- Xanta Claus


End file.
